1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices into which inserts—specifically, recording mediums furnished with a connector on one end and incorporating electronic circuitry—install detachably/reattachably.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) are partial sectional plan views of a conventional device, wherein (a) shows a standby state, in which a recording medium is not mounted in the device, and (b) shows a state in which a recording medium is mounted in the device (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. Pub. No. 10-50406). A recording medium 6 such as an IC card is furnished with a first connector 60 on its one end. Hereinafter, the direction in which a recording medium is inserted into the device is referred to as “forward”, and the direction in which the recording medium is ejected out of the device as “backward.”
The device has sidewalls 18, 18 erected along both sides of a chassis 1. Provided in an inner part of the chassis 1 is a second connector 61 for fitting with the first connector 60. The structure for fitting the connectors 60 and 61 is well known.
On the chassis 1, a push-out lever 45 is supported on a pivot 47 near the second connector 61, and a right end portion of the push-out lever 45 is connected to a slide unit 7 that is provided outward of one sidewall 18 and is shiftable back and forth. A tail end portion of the slide unit 7 is provided with an eject button 70. From a left end portion of the push-out lever 45, a pin 46 protrudes downward.
In the standby state, the eject button 70 is depressed inward as shown in FIG. 16(a). When the recording medium 6 is inserted between the sidewalls 18, 18 with the first connector 60 facing forward, the front end of the recording medium 6 pushes the pin 46 of the push-out lever 45, swinging the push-out lever 45 clockwise. Accordingly, the slide unit 7 and the eject button 70 are forced to protrude backward. Upon completing the insertion of the recording medium 6, the connectors 60 and 61 fit together so that signals may be recorded in the recording medium 6 or be played back from the recording medium 6.
To eject the recording medium 6, the eject button 70 is pressed forwardly inward with the finger. The push-out lever 45 thereby swings counterclockwise, forcing the pushing pin 46 to push the front end of the recording medium 6 backward. The recording medium 6 is thus pushed out backward and is ejected out of the device.
In the standby state, the recording medium 6 will be unintentionally ejected in a situation in which, if the amount by which the eject button 70 protrudes is extensive, the eject button 70 is by some chance struck inadvertently by a user's hand. In view of this problem, as shown in FIG. 17, there is a configuration in which the eject button 70 is configured by two half-button portions 70a and 70b connected with a hinge 70c so that the backward half-button portion 70b is rotatable about 90 degrees clockwise relative to the front side half-button portion 70a. Thus, the amount of protrusion of the eject button 70 is made small.
With the eject button 70 shown in FIG. 17, there still remains a risk that the recording medium 6 will be accidentally ejected in a situation in which, if a user neglects the operation of swinging over the half-button portion 70b, the user's hand accidentally strikes the eject button 70. Furthermore, the user is required to take the trouble to fold the eject button 70, which is cumbersome and gives the impression that the device is a low-grade product.
In view of this, a device is proposed that performs operations shown in FIG. 19 (see Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. Pub. No. 11-54208, for example). In this device, as shown in FIG. 18, the push-out levers 45, 45 for urging the recording medium 6 backward are supported on pivots 47, 47 on the chassis 1, and one sidewall 18 of the chassis 1 is provided with a cam mechanism (not shown) into which the slide unit 7 fits. In the standby state, in which the recording medium 6 is not inserted, the eject button 70 is at a forwardly depressed position. Even when the recording medium 6 is mounted in the device, the depressed position is maintained.
In this condition, if the eject button 70 is further pushed forwardly inward, the eject button 70 protrudes backward while the recording medium 6 is kept in the mounted state, as shown in FIG. 19. When the eject button 70 that has been protruded backward is pushed forwardly once again, the recording medium 6 is ejected out of the device, but the eject button 70 is kept in a forwardly depressed state. Specifically, in order to eject the recording medium 6 inserted in the device from the state where the eject button 70 is depressed forward, the eject button 70 needs to be pushed two times; therefore, even if the user's hand accidentally strikes the eject button 70 while in the state where the recording medium 6 is inserted in the device, the recording medium 6 is not ejected.
If the eject button 70 is pushed without inserting the recording medium 6 while in the standby state, the eject button 70 is kept in the forwardly depressed state. The recording medium 6 can be inserted in this condition. If the eject button 70 is pushed once again, the eject button 70 protrudes backward.
In the device that performs the operations shown in FIG. 19, however, while in its standby state, the eject button 70 may protrude backward from the depressed state. Accordingly, if the recording medium 6 is inserted into the device while the eject button 70 is in the backwardly protruding state, the recording medium 6 can be ejected out of the device by pushing the eject button 70 once more. Therefore, there remains a risk of accidentally ejecting the recording medium 6 out of the device if the user's hand accidentally hits the eject button 70 while the eject button 70 is in a backwardly protruding state. In other words, such a risk arises because of the possibility of the eject button 70's protruding backward while the recording medium 6 is not inserted in the device.